


To Be Redeemed

by MissAtomicBomb77



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-09
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-07 10:06:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAtomicBomb77/pseuds/MissAtomicBomb77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s over, the good guys win, the bad guy loses, but he has a chance to be redeemed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Be Redeemed

The relief that washed over Charlie Skinner was only interrupted by the big arms of Will McAvoy shaking his shoulders and pulling him into his arms. Charlie nodded an acknowledgement into the young man’s chest and broke away so that Will could take his own beautiful wife Mackenzie in his arms. He looks up to the front row of the courtroom and she’s there, turned, looking at him. Leona gives him a smile and a sassy wink before turning back to face the courtroom. 

The procedure is over and soon enough the gallery is gone, reporting the news; that ACN had not acted out of any hate or need to be vindictive by the airing of the Genoa story, that they were manipulated by other men. Few people are loitering now, Will and Mac were waiting for Charlie, who few steps away, and Charlie was waiting for Leona, still stalled in the courtroom. He suffered quite a bit during this case on both professional and personal fronts. His life had been coming apart on all sides and he felt like he had been saved by Leona. Her faith in him, misguided, foolhardy or genuine, kept him here. Now with this absolution of what he felt were grievous sins, it gave him something back so that he could begin to pull himself together. He at least wanted to offer his thanks.

No one had known that right in the middle of the courtroom procedurals that were being played for the world that his long suffering wife decided that she finally wanted out. She cited him as broken because of this and she wanted nothing more to do with him. She had caught him in a total moment of weakness and total self-loathing that was beyond bad, so he readily agreed with her demands. He was hurt as well because unbeknownst to him, she had been planning this for quite some time. Papers were drawn and signed before he even had the thought to retaliate. She may have wanted out, but she was more than fair. He had an apartment in the city now and that was where he was the six hours a day he wasn’t at the office or in the courtroom. He hadn’t taken his wedding ring off yet; mostly because he hadn’t made peace with it, but more to keep his friends off his back. They needed to focus on the case, not him.

Jerry Dantana and his legal team are down the hall from Charlie. He takes a brief look at Jerry and Charlie asks himself what he could have done differently. The man had a tenacity that Charlie admired and Charlie had many a night where he lied awake wishing that he could have saved Jerry from himself. His career was effectively over and Charlie can’t help but feel guilt about that. Someone’s livelihood was ending with this case, he knew that to be the outcome, and it turned out to be Dantana’s. Charlie’s was in the sunset of his life, but Jerry, now he has to start again, at such a young age. Charlie hopes that the tenacity he showed while compiling the Genoa story can be part of his new life, whatever that turned out to be.

Leona comes of the courtroom now. She has a binder in her arms and she sees Charlie, smiles, but looks past him, looking for someone else. She sees Jerry and is focused on him as she walks to Charlie. “I have to offer him something,” she says to Charlie, quietly. “I’ll be back in a moment.” Charlie looks baffled as Leona walks towards Jerry and his lawyers. Charlie is dumbstruck. What could she possible have to offer him after the public shit storm they are just now finally coming out of because of him?

Charlie can’t see her face, her back is to him. The pack of lawyers start to shoo her away, but she has a hand out asking them to stop and eventually Jerry asks them to stop as well. Charlie starts to watch Jerry now, but he’s not readable. The man never really was and he can count on one hand he’s actually seen the man smile. Now is not one of those times. However, to his credit in Charlie’s mind, he is thoughtful and has given all of his attention to Leona and whatever words she’s spinning. He watches Jerry’s expression change slightly, maybe surprise, she must have said something.

Jerry looks up at Charlie Skinner. They make eye contact for the briefest of moments before Jerry focuses back on Leona.

Now Charlie is about ready to go out of his mind. He’s rooting himself to the floor using all of his willpower not to go over and interrupt whatever the hell it is that she’s doing because he really wants to know. That look from Jerry, it wasn’t condescending, it wasn’t negative, and it wasn’t hate filled or spiteful. It wasn’t anything it should have been because they were only bitter opposite ends of a spectrum now and then that look. He couldn’t place what that was, if it was respect, awe or an acknowledgment? What was that look and what had she said to encourage it?

It’s still going on and it feels like a god damned eternity. Will does come up at some point and sees what’s happening. Charlie waves him away and reluctantly, Will and Mac leave Charlie at his place in the hall.

Finally, Leona hands the folder over to Jerry and he holds it gingerly, almost as if it’s unreal. He looks back at her and he nods his head once and turns away from her, his lawyers flocking around him like he’s the President of the United States and they are the Secret Service. They start to walk down the hall and she finally turns and sees Charlie still there. She seemed almost surprised to see him.

When she walks back to him, he asks and it comes off as impudent. “What was that all about?”

Leona’s eyebrows furrow. “Were you raised by Jesuits?”

“Leona!”

“I was making amends. I had to.” She says simply, shrugging her shoulders.

“Making amends for what?” Charlie said. “Because of him, you could have lost everything you’ve ever cared about and for and you’re going to him and making amends? He should be cleaning your Chanel suits for the rest of his natural life!”

She chortles that that. “I found out who is uncle was. We should go. There’s going to be a whole lot of people that want to see you.” She starts to walk away, but Charlie’s arm snaps up her wrist reflexively.

“No, no, you need to tell me.” He’s searching her face for clues because she’s doing it again. He’s realized now that she’s orchestrated something good and kind and because of her evasiveness, he knows it falls under that umbrella. She never wastes an opportunity to tell you how she’s stuck it to someone, but ask her about the charities she contributes to or the lives she’s changed by putting people through school and she clams up instantly. “What did you do?”

“I’ve offered him a job,” she says simply.

“You what now?” The disbelief on Charlie’s face is cannot be masked. “Because you found out whom his uncle was you offered him a job? What the fuck Leona?” He hasn’t let go of her and if she was anyone, anyone else, he’d squeeze the daylight out of her.

“Do you remember how we met?”

“Oh, Christ Leona, of course I do. What does this have to do with it?”

“Tell me now Charlie, do you remember the name of the reporter that was my escort? Can you recall the name of that graceful man that knocked me over so that I fell into a live minefield? He was the newest reporter from AP at the time and well, he had miserable luck, we can admit. After what happened to me everyone on the block shamed him back to the states three weeks after that. Became a reporter in a small town in the Midwest and took his young nephew in when his parents couldn’t care for him anymore.”

He lets go of her wrist now. Charlie just stares at her. He stares at her long and he stares at her hard and he speaks without filter. “YOU are shitting me.”

“It’s a small world,” she responds in kind. “It’s an editing job and don’t think the irony is lost on me about that - under my publishing wing. I’ve also asked that if he decides to write a book that we get first crack at that.”

He’s just staring at her, his mouth part way open.

“I’m giving him a chance to redeem himself,” Leona says simply. “It’ll be up to him if he wants to take that chance or not. Now, come on! I want to be on the arm of the most popular man on the block.” Leona tangles her arm in Charlie’s and begins to lead him away.

“You have more grace than god,” he says to her as they start to move in harmony towards the elevators.

“I have just enough for my lifetime. I need a drink and if I need a drink, you must need two.”

“That would be lovely Leona.”


End file.
